The Central College softball team pulled away from Simpson for a 7-2, 8-0 (6 inn) sweep Saturday afternoon in Pella in a doubleheader heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

After building a 3-0 lead in the opener, the Dutch surrendered a pair of unearned runs in the third to let Simpson back in the game. But Central responded immediately with two in the bottom half, and tacked on two more in the fifth for the final margin. Mariah Fritz earned the victory in the circle.

In the nightcap, Annie Devries tossed six shutout innings, and the offense scored in four of the six frames. Coach George Wares says that it was a great effort from his senior hurler.

“Devries was about as sharp as she’s been. Her screwball was really working. She used her changeup enough when they adjusted to the screwball. When she got them off the plate she was able to go with some outside stuff. She was just in complete control the entire time.”

The top four in Central’s order – Sara Tallman, Shaye Witte, Tabitha Taylor and Emily Walton – all had three hits on the day. Walton and Daria Parchert each had three RBI.

The Dutch improve to 16-6 on the season and 3-1 in the Iowa Conference, while the Storm drop to 17-9 and 3-3.

Both teams will host teams from Dubuque on Wednesday. The Dutch entertain Loras while Simpson welcomes the Spartans.